Wearable hands-free food dispensing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A hand-free food dispensing apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a harness portion that attaches the apparatus to the person&#39;s body, wherein the harness is adjustable to the size of the wearer; and a food dispensing portion attached to the harness portion that is a substantially curved hollow food trough with at least a portion of the top open to the wearer. The food dispensing portion is positioned by the user&#39;s mouth such that when the apparatus is filled with food, the person can access food in the apparatus by moving their mouth towards the food dispensing portion.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to food dispensing systems, and more particularly to a hands-free food dispensing apparatus that is wearable by a person.

Certain long-term activities make it impossible or impractical for a person to feed themselves using their hands. For example, activities such as: playing video games, constructing models, flying a plane, or assembling electronics components all involve activities that require long periods where both hands are busy. It is also undesirable to take occasional breaks to eat, because it wastes time and transfers food residue to the subject of the work. Reading a book is an example of an activity where using one hand to eat snacks would transfer grease and crumbs back to the book.

It is similarly impossible for a person to feed themselves if they have lost the use of their arms due to injury or disease. A quadriplegic generally must relinquish a level of independence by relying on another to feed him. A prisoner whose arms are immobilized is another example of a situation where it would be desirable to provide the person with the means to feed himself without the use of his hands.

There is currently no known device available that attaches to a user and allows them to feed themselves while their hands are busy. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a hands-free wearable food dispensing apparatus that addresses one or more of the drawbacks enumerated above.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure addresses the drawbacks mentioned above by providing a hands-free wearable food dispensing apparatus.

The wearable food dispensing apparatus disclosed herein is attached directly to the user's body. The apparatus positions a food dispenser conveniently near the user's mouth. When the apparatus is filled, the user can access the food and/or beverage in the apparatus by simply moving their head towards the dispensing portion and accessing the food with their mouth.

The disclosed device allows users to feed themselves without the use of their hands. Potential benefits of this system are: ability to perform time-consuming activities without having to pause for breaks; improved productivity and enjoyment of activities; elimination of food residue transferred to items in the user's hands; and increased independence of users to feed themselves when they are unable to use their hands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description and drawings, in which like reference numerals correspond to similar, though not necessarily identical components. For the sake of brevity, reference numerals or features having a previously described function may not necessarily be described in connection with other drawings in which they appear.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the wearable food dispensing apparatus of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the food dispensing trough section of the wearable food dispensing apparatus of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the harness and adjustment features of the wearable food dispensing apparatus of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a close-up view of an embodiment of the trough height and harness size adjustment feature;

FIG. 5 is a view of the beverage dispensing feature of the wearable food dispensing apparatus of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a view of an embodiment of the wearable food dispensing apparatus that includes speakers;

FIG. 7 is a view of food dispensing actuator feature of the wearable food dispensing apparatus of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the motion of the user's head towards an embodiment of the wearable food dispensing apparatus, allowing hands-free access to food.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

There is currently no known apparatus that will mount to a person's body and allow him to eat while it is impractical or impossible for him to use his hands.

The embodiments disclosed herein substantially solve the problem above by providing a wearable hands-free food and/or beverage dispensing apparatus. The apparatus mounts to the wearer's body with a mounting harness. The mounting harness portion of the apparatus supports and positions the food dispensing portion in a position that is convenient for the wearer to access the food with his mouth. When the user desires food, he need only rotate his head towards the food dispensing portion of the apparatus to access food with his mouth. The user is thereby able to eat without using his hands.

Turning now to FIG. 1, this embodiment shows a hands-free food dispensing apparatus. The mounting harness portion of this embodiment is comprised of two metal or plastic straps, 12, that mount over the wearer's shoulders and holds the unit in place along the back and chest of the wearer. Attached to the mounting harness is a food dispensing portion, 16. In this embodiment, the food dispensing portion is a hollow trough. The mounting harness is designed to hold the food dispensing portion at position below the wearer's mouth, such that the user can wear the food dispensing unit while their torso is in an upright position. The trough section is supported and positioned via a trough attachment to the harness, which is shown as 14.

When the food dispensing unit is located at the proper height, the user has a clear line of sight to an activity they may be performing. It is also the proper height for the user to rotate his head slightly downwards or forward to grab food from the hollow trough. For example, if the user is engaged in playing a video game, the user can see the screen and use his hands in their normal position. The user can then rotate his head slightly downwards towards the trough section and access food with his mouth. In this embodiment, the harness has an optional feature of a chest support, 18, which further supports the trough and keeps it in a position convenient to the wearer.

The hollow trough, 16, in this embodiment is a substantially curved container with an open top. It is designed with the lower part of the curve near the center for gravity to carry food towards the center for mouth access as food is taken from the center. It is also designed to sit along the wearer's chest, parallel to the coronal body plane. However, the trough section can be any type of food container or holder. Alternate embodiments tested include: a substantially rectangular section, a substantially v-shaped trough, a substantially v-shaped trough with a flat center section, troughs with some portion of the top area closed to keep food contained, a round bowl-like trough, or combinations thereof. The trough can be constructed of any metal, plastic, or composite materials.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the hollow food dispensing trough in which the container is a gently sloping v-shape, which is tilted slightly towards the user's mouth. This allows food to gather near the user's mouth for easy access. In addition, a chin cut-out, 22, is provided in the portion of the trough nearest the user's head to allow easy access to the food in the trough. This small, half-moon shaped, slightly flared contour was built into the part of the trough closest to the wearer to provide clearance for the wearer's mouth and chin. Other tested designs that did not have this feature were discarded because access was too cumbersome and contact with the chin caused tipping of the trough. An optional cutout is also provided to provide clearance for the user's nose, shown as 24.

This embodiment also shows an optional beaded edge, 26, on the trough which helps channel the food towards the center while preventing spillage of food over the side of the trough. Other designs that were more sharply angled were tested and rejected because the food spilled out of the trough too easily.

In yet another embodiment, the trough shapes above are oriented away from the user's mouth, parallel to the sagittal plane of the wearers body.

In another embodiment, the food dispensing portion of the apparatus can be simply a food container holding structure in which a bowl or similar food container is placed.

In a further embodiment, the trough section can be a hollow container that is curved around the user's head, such that he can access food by rotating his head to the side, in addition to rotating his head downwards toward the trough.

Turning now to FIG. 3, the harness portion, 32, in this embodiment is two curved straps that rest upon the shoulders of the wearer. The straps in this embodiment form “shepard hooks,” which help to stabilize and position the food dispensing portion relative to the user's body by grabbing the wearer's body.

These hooks are curved inward at the middle portion toward the wearer's back for a snug fit and then curved outward at the ends for comfort. Shorter, non-curved hooks were discarded because they were not snug enough and did not provide enough support. These straps can be constructed of metal, plastic, composite, fabric, cloth, or any combinations thereof. Obviously, a fabric harness would be flexible while the harness could also be plastic straps that are somewhat stiff. The “shepards hooks” would be made of a material that is somewhat stiff, with enough elasticity to comfortably grab the wearer's body. The “knee bends” on the back of the shepards hooks,” as shown in the figure would be designed for comfortable and secure holding to the wearer.

Additionally, it would be possible to adjust the shepards hooks to the size of the wearer by putting a size adjustment at the top of the hooks—lengthening or shortening the width of the harness to match the thickness of the body.

In alternate embodiments, the harness portion could also attach to the user's body by using: a harness that secures around the wearer's neck, a harness that rests on the wearer's head, harness straps that attach to the wearer's belt, harness straps that form suspenders that attach to the wearer's clothing, a harness that is secured around the wearer's torso, or combinations thereof.

A further embodiment of the harness is adjustable for length, width, or curvature for a secure fit to the particular size and shape of the user. The trough dispenser section of this embodiment, shown as 34 in FIG. 3, is adjustable up or down to match the anatomy of the user. The front strap section, 36, of the harness portion can be adjusted to match the trough height to the size of the user. The size, width, and curvature of the harness section could similarly be adjustable to the size of the user.

In an alternate embodiment, the securing straps could be a single front and rear strap or any number of securing straps.

The size and height adjustment features of the above embodiment can be a number of different adjustment technologies, including: nuts and bolts; buckles; buttons; hook and loop fasteners (such as Velcro); dowels; pins; pegs and keyholes; flexible materials; or the “button snaps” as used on standard baseball caps.

FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of the height and size adjustment feature that uses pegs with keyholes, 40. A key, 42, is attached to the harness section, 44, and the height of the trough is adjusted by positioning the trough support, 46, on the proper keyholes. Using similar size adjustments, the size of the harness can also be made adjustable for different shoulder and chest sizes and heights.

Turning now to FIG. 5, the above references to food could be either food or beverage. In this embodiment, a beverage container holding structure, 52, is attached directly to the food dispensing trough. A beverage container, such as a can or bottle, is placed into the holding structure. A beverage dispensing tube, which can either be attached to the holding structure or the food dispensing trough, has one end in the beverage and one end placed near the center of the dispensing trough. In this embodiment, the user can lean his head to either grab food or grab the tube to access beverage.

In an alternate embodiment, the container holding structure can be attached to the harness portion of the apparatus. In yet another embodiment, the beverage container can be part of the food dispensing apparatus itself, and refilled.

Turning now to FIG. 6, this embodiment includes speakers built into the food dispensing apparatus. One or more speakers, 62, can be placed at a variety of locations about the hands-free food dispensing apparatus, but they would be particularly effective when placed near the user's ears. This feature is especially suited to video game players who are using the food dispensing apparatus to access food hands-free while gaming. A wire or plug could be provided which would allow sounds to be input from a video game system and/or stereo directly to the speakers of the food dispensing apparatus.

Turning now to FIG. 7, this embodiment shows an actuator, 72, in the food dispensing portion of the hands-free food dispensing apparatus. In one simple embodiment, this actuator can be a passive spring, which would hold food on a dispensing platform, 74, at a height convenient to the wearer's mouth. As food is removed at the top, less weight would be on the spring, and the spring would move the platform and remaining food closer and more convenient to the user's mouth.

In an alternate embodiment, this actuator can be an electrically or electromechanically triggered actuator which moves food into close proximity with the user's mouth. This feature is particularly useful where the user has limited movement of his head or neck. When activated, the actuator would move food on the platform nearer to the wearer's mouth. Alternatively, the platform could be a “shovel,” which would shovel food upwards towards the wearer's mouth when the actuator is triggered.

In an alternate embodiment, the actuator in the food dispensing trough can be used to push food at the ends of the trough closer to the center of the trough. As food is eaten from the center section of the trough by the wearer, the actuator would replenish the supply of food at the center for more convenient access.

In yet another embodiment, the actuator, 72, would be triggered by a remote electrical signal. For example, when used in conjunction with a video game system, a button on the video game controller could be used to dispense food directly near the user's mouth and keep the user from having to move his head very far while playing the game.

Turning now to FIG. 8, this final figure shows the hands-free food dispensing apparatus in operation. When the user's head is tilted towards the food dispensing trough, he can access the food placed in the trough with his mouth.

While several embodiments have been described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiments may be modified. Therefore, the foregoing description is to be considered exemplary rather than limiting. 

1. A hands-free food dispensing apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a harness portion that holds the apparatus to a person's body; and a food dispensing portion attached to the harness portion, wherein said food dispensing portion is positioned such that the person can access food in the apparatus by moving their mouth towards the food dispensing portion.
 2. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is useable by a person when their torso is in an upright position, such that the wearer can access the contents in the trough by rotating his head towards the container.
 3. The apparatus in claim 2, wherein the food dispensing portion is a hollow food trough positioned near the wearer's mouth.
 4. The apparatus in claim 3, wherein the hollow food trough is a substantially rectangular container with at least a portion of the top open to the wearer, with a length that is substantially parallel to the coronal plane of the wearer's body.
 5. The apparatus in claim 3, wherein the hollow food trough is a substantially curved container with at least a portion of the top open to the wearer, with a length that is substantially parallel to the coronal plane of the wearer's body.
 6. The apparatus in claim 3, wherein the hollow food trough is a substantially v-shaped container with at least a portion of the top open to the wearer, with a length that is substantially parallel to the coronal plane of the wearer's body.
 7. The apparatus in claim 6, further comprising a chin cutout, and bottom surfaces on each side of the v-shaped container that are declined towards the user's mouth, such that gravity pulls more food towards the center of the trough as food is removed by the user.
 8. The apparatus in claim 3, further comprising a position adjustment, such that the height of the hollow food trough is adjustable relative to the harness portion.
 9. The apparatus in claim 3, wherein the size of the harness portion is adjustable to fit the wearer using one of: nuts and bolts; buckles; buttons; hook and loop fasteners (such as Velcro); dowels; pins; pegs and keyholes; the “button snaps” as used on standard baseball caps; flexible materials; or combinations thereof.
 10. The apparatus in claim 3, wherein the harness portion is attached to the wearer with securing straps that rest upon the wearer's shoulders.
 11. The apparatus in claim 10, wherein the harness portion is two “shepards hooks” which secure to the user's torso.
 12. The apparatus in claim 3, wherein the harness portion is attached around the neck of the wearer.
 13. The apparatus in claim 3, wherein the harness portion is attached to the torso of the user.
 14. The apparatus in claim 3, further comprising one or more speakers attached to the apparatus.
 15. The apparatus in claim 3, further comprising a beverage holding and dispensing portion attached to at least one of the harness portion or the food dispensing portion.
 16. The apparatus in claim 15, wherein the beverage holding and dispensing portion comprises: a beverage holding structure that receives and holds a beverage container; and a beverage dispensing tube, wherein one end of said tube is in fluid communication with the contents of said beverage container, and the opposite end of said tube is positioned near the mouth of the wearer.
 17. The apparatus in claim 3, further comprising an actuator which moves at least some quantity of the food in the food dispensing portion to a position that is easier for the wearer to access with his mouth.
 18. The apparatus in claim 3, further comprising a food raising and leveling portion, comprising: a food platform on the bottom of the hollow food trough; and a spring actuator which holds said food platform at a height near the wearer's mouth and changes the position of the food platform based on the weight of food applied to the platform.
 19. A hands-free food dispensing apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a harness portion that attaches the apparatus to the shoulders of the a person's body, wherein the harness is adjustable to the size of the wearer; and a food dispensing portion attached to the harness portion that is a substantially curved hollow food trough with at least a portion of the top open to the wearer, wherein the height of said food dispensing portion is adjustable and is positioned near the user's head such that the person can access food in the apparatus by moving their mouth towards the food dispensing portion.
 20. A method of dispensing food to a person without their having to use their hands, the method comprising: dispensing food such that a person can access the food with their mouth by rotating their head towards the food dispenser; and attaching the food dispenser to the body of the user such that the food dispenser is positioned where the user can access the food by moving her head towards the dispensing portion. 